Alex Saab to plead guilty in Miami to money laundering linked to Venezuela

According to reports from the news portals Contrapunto and Runrun.es, Colombian businessman Alex Saab is preparing to appear before a federal court in Miami. At the hearing, scheduled for this Tuesday, the defendant is expected to change his plea to guilty on a charge of conspiracy to launder money, as part of a corruption network linked to the importation of food for Venezuela.

The case originates with the Local Supply and Production Committee (CLAP), a state program created in 2016 to distribute subsidized food to low-income families. According to investigations by the US Department of Justice, the network led by Saab used shell companies, false invoices and bribes to obtain overpriced contracts. The scheme diverted public resources that were meant to secure food for the country's most vulnerable sectors.

The current court appearance clarifies an apparent contradiction for those following the case, since Saab had been released in December 2023 after receiving clemency from the government of Joe Biden in a prisoner swap. However, that pardon did not cover the new indictment filed by federal prosecutors in May 2026. This new criminal case alleges that, between 2019 and 2026, the criminal structure expanded to the fraudulent handling of oil from the state-owned Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) in order to launder capital through bank accounts in US territory.

Following the fall of the government of Nicolás Maduro, the interim administration of Delcy Rodríguez handed Saab over to US authorities on May 16, 2026. His possible cooperation with US justice is considered key by prosecutors to deepen investigations into the financial and contracting networks of the former Venezuelan government.